Zhang Daqian (張大千) is widely considered to be the greatest Chinese painter of the past 500 years. Many called him “the Picasso of China”. Today, more than 40 years after his death, his works command high prices. At an auction in Hong Kong this April. Sotheby’s put on sale three of his works. One of them, Sunshine after Rain (雨後斜陽), sold for HK$15.36 million.
During his life, Zhang completed more than 30,000 paintings, an astonishing number, with the multiplicity of art forms. He combined traditional techniques with his own innovative approach and developed a unique style that was firmly rooted in Chinese tradition. In his later years, Zhang developed unique splashed-ink and splashed-colour techniques, unmatched in the art world.
After World War Two, he became a global ambassador for Chinese art and was the first Chinese painter to earn an international reputation, in Europe, the U.S. and East Asia, and sell for high prices in these countries. In 1956, he met Pablo Picasso in southern France – the top painters of East and West coming together. After leaving the mainland in 1949, he lived in Argentina, Brazil and California, before spending his final years in Taiwan. His personal life was no less astonishing – four wives, three concubines (one Korean, one Japanese) and 16 children.
Please come and listen to Mark’s presentation on the life of this extraordinary man on October 13. You can buy the book at branches of Joint Publishing and Commercial Press in Hong Kong.
The Speaker
Mark O’Neill was born in London, England and educated at Marlborough College and New College, Oxford. He worked in Washington, DC, Manchester and Belfast before coming to Hong Kong in 1978. He has lived in Asia ever since. He worked as a journalist for 30 years here, in Taiwan, India, the PRC and Japan, for Reuters, SCMP and many other publications. Since 2006, he has been writing books on Chinese history and society. He has completed 21 so far in English. Eight have been translated into traditional Chinese and three into simplified Chinese. He speaks French, Mandarin, Cantonese and lives in Hong Kong with his wife.
More about Mark: https://www.mark-oneill.com
PROGRAMME
Speaker: Mark O’Neill, author
Date: Tuesday, 13 October 2026
Time: 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
(Reception starts at 6:30 pm)
Venue: Café 8, Roof, Hong Kong Maritime Museum, Pier 8, Central
Admission: $175 for members, $220 for guests /non-members (Light refreshments are included in the admission fee)
Registration: Please email <membership@royalasiaticsociety.org.hk> and provide your membership number, if applicable, at the time of registration. Please kindly complete your registration by advance payment via Stripe's payment links below (using your Credit Card):
Members ($175):
https://buy.stripe.com/00wdRacVKeEMedla095EY3w
Non-member / Guest ($220):
https://buy.stripe.com/dRm00k5tieEM9X55JT5EY3x
Details about the other payment option will be sent on registration. Upon receipt of payment, your registration will be confirmed by email. Registration will be closed at 12 noon on 12 October 2026.